Poor flat steel demand in North Africa, prices move downwards

In the Egyptian flat steel market, demand is still weak and prices continue to follow a downward trend. Egyptian flat steel producer EZDK is currently offering hot rolled coil (HRC) to the export markets at the level of $620/mt FOB, compared to $630-640/mt FOB before the Feast of Sacrifice holiday last week.
 
In the meantime, the Tunisian flat steel market is quite sluggish. According to market sources, although Tunisian buyers' price idea for HRC imports stands at $610/mt CFR, actual import offers to the country are above this level. Accordingly, major Russian steel producers are offering HRC to the Tunisian market in the price range of $670-685/mt CFR, while their CRC offers are at $760-775/mt CFR, both for December rolling. Russian offers for December production are approximately $30-50/mt lower as compared to offers for November production. It is thought that, if offers drop further in the coming period, the market may witness increased activity.